Former UCalgary president, alumna to be invested in Alberta Order of Excellence

A former University of Calgary president and an alumna are among seven provincial citizens who will be officially invested into the Alberta Order of Excellence this fall.

A news release from the province named Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, PhD, as one of the septet to receive the award, which recognizes Albertans whose contributions “have formed — and continue to advance — the province’s history and place in Canada and throughout the world.”

Also invested will be Eleanor Chiu, BComm’85, chief financial officer of Trico Group.

From 2010 to 2018, Cannon served as the university's eighth president and vice-chancellor, having previously held the position of dean of the Schulich School of Engineering. She completed her BSc (Eng)’84, MSc’87 and PhD’91 in geomatics engineering at the University of Calgary.

Cannon, who was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women's Executive Network, was appointed in 2019 as an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contributions to academia and STEM in Canada, as an engineer and university administrator.

This year’s complete list, to be made official at a ceremony in October, includes:

• Maureen Bianchini Purvis, Edmonton
• Robert G. Brawn, Calgary
• Elizabeth Cannon, Calgary
• Eleanor Chiu, Calgary
• Cheryl Foggo, Calgary
• Art Froehlich, Calgary
• Cam Tait, Edmonton

The Alberta Order of Excellence, the highest honour the Province of Alberta can bestow on a citizen, was created in 1979, with the first investiture in 1981.

The Lieutenant Governor, as the Queen’s representative, invests members into the Alberta Order of Excellence at a special ceremony at Government House in Edmonton.